Untitled 1994

Curator: This intriguing work, simply titled "Untitled," comes to us from Robert Lobe in 1994. It is executed in ink. What are your immediate thoughts? Editor: It strikes me as very spontaneous. Look at the varying thickness of the lines. It gives it an almost calligraphic quality—a dance between control and the ink's own flow across the page. What can you tell me about Lobe's process here? Curator: The rapid, decisive application certainly conveys a sense of immediacy, perhaps suggestive of automatic drawing techniques favored by Surrealists, releasing forms from the subconscious. These fragmented symbols evoke emotionality but are ultimately inaccessible. Editor: Right. The lack of figuration certainly emphasizes the material presence of the ink. You can practically see the speed and angle of the hand that made those marks. The drawing is as much about the movement of ink on paper as it is about any intended image. It seems he allows the material qualities of ink to have their own expression, maybe a dialog with gravity? Curator: The density of the ink varies quite a bit—pooling in some areas, thin washes in others. I wonder if these thicker deposits hold deeper significance. Is the ink a metaphor for, say, repressed emotions suddenly finding release? It does look like weeping... or at least liquid expression. Editor: Or maybe it's just the artist dealing with a very specific type of ink, a nib that behaves a certain way? Perhaps his focus was solely on the craft of making the mark. There's beauty enough in the process itself, don't you think? It reminds me of works on paper by Franz Kline... the beauty and scale. Curator: The Rorschach qualities are undeniable, allowing for various interpretations. The composition has the visual rhythm of a landscape. The abstract forms give me hints of land or water but it resists complete understanding. Editor: Well, thinking about material conditions enriches the mystery for me. Robert Lobe really uses the medium to open up to its capacity in making abstract form... Curator: For me, it hints at memory, and the transient nature of existence, with fragmented signs suggesting a symbolic visual language. Editor: Regardless, a great emphasis on the ink itself gives me new appreciation.